Lacrosse prepares for Coliseum conference clash Friday


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No. 18 USC women’s lacrosse continues in conference play against Arizona State at 4 p.m. Friday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In their most recent match versus Stanford, USC fell short in a narrow 145-154 overtime loss. Despite its dominant first half, the Cardinal went on a late 4-0 run in the game causing the Trojans to fall behind. With two minutes left and Stanford leading 14-12, sophomore attacker Shelby Tilton and graduate student midfielder Kelsey Huff each nailed one into the net, forcing overtime. 

In overtime, the Trojans took the draw control with two shots that were blocked by junior goalie Kara Rahaim. The Cardinal cleared the ball downfield to redshirt freshman attacker Ashley Humphrey who scored the game-winning goal. This was USC’s 14th overtime game, and third played against Stanford who moved to 2-1 in their overtime meetings against the Trojans. 

USC’s last match against ASU in 2021 ended in a 16-14 victory. Huff led the Trojans’ attack in the game, scoring five goals and logging her eighth hattrick of the 2021 season.

Junior defender Olivia Dooley said that paying attention to detail would be crucial going into the matchup against the Sun Devils.  

“We’re just focusing on tweaking the little things, the smaller plays that will make the bigger difference against our next competitors,” Dooley said.  

In ASU’s most recent win versus UC Berkeley 21-18, graduate student  attacker Carley Adams led the Sun Devils with five goals —  bringing her career goal total to 105. Another threat is graduate student attacker Emily Glagolev, who contributed three goals and seven assists in the win. 

For the Trojans, first year players are leaving their mark through the early weeks of this season. Redshirt freshman attacker Isabelle Vitale continues to be a dominant force to the team. She’s made quite the mark on her first season with 20 goals and 15 assists. 

Vitale hasn’t been the only standout. Freshman midfielder Catherine Lord will be another challenge for the Sun Devils. The midfielder snagged nine draw controls in her last game against the Cardinal.

USC’s first matchup will take place Friday in the Coliseum this season, as the Trojans usually play home games at McAlister Field. 

Head Coach Lindsey Munday spoke on the opportunity to play on new ground.

“There’s so much history, and so I think there’s a level of appreciation just to play in sort of an iconic venue like that,” she said. “Not everyone gets this opportunity to play D1, to step on the field with your best friends and compete. So, I think every game is special.”

USC will be hosting Arizona State at 4 p.m. Friday.